The immense success of “Barbie” remains an outlier in Hollywood.
A study shows: Women directed only 13.4 percent of the highest-grossing films of the year in 2024.
112 directors – the 100 highest-grossing films
Gender equality is also a big issue in the Hollywood dream factory. This is now also shown by the annual study by the Director’s Chair of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California. This once again shows that female filmmakers are significantly underrepresented in Hollywood.
A total of 112 directors from the 100 highest-grossing films of the year were taken into account for the report, but only 13.4 percent of them were female. The number seems disappointing, but at least there has been an increase since 2023. The percentage of female directors was 12.1 percent.
The study also analyzes the extent to which previously underrepresented ethnic groups have worked in Hollywood. The top films of 2024 were 24.1 percent, also an increase since 2023 (back then it was 22.4 percent). Women from ethnically underrepresented groups made up only 5.3 percent of the study of the 100 highest-grossing films.
It is important to remember that around half – 41.6 percent to be precise – of the US population are considered underrepresented.
Founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative speaks out
The study is conducted annually under the direction of Stacy L. Smith. Smith is a professor of communication at USC Annenberg and founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the initiative that addresses inequality in the entertainment industry like no other in the world. Smith noted in a statement that “there is still much room for improvement. Female directors are still clearly in the minority and are rarely given multiple opportunities behind the camera. Hollywood cannot be satisfied with the change that has occurred when there is still much work to be done.”
“Barbie” made history
The issue of female underrepresentation in Hollywood will continue to cause controversy in 2025, whether at the box office or at awards shows. The still soberingly low number of women in leadership positions within the entertainment industry proves that Hollywood remains heavily male-dominated. However, there are always pioneers who could significantly change Hollywood in the future. Last but not least, it was the American director Greta Gerwig who made history in 2023 with her cinematic portrayal of the Barbie world from a refreshingly new perspective. “Barbie” is considered a feminist film with women in leading positions, with Margot Robbie as the protagonist Barbie, who realizes over the course of the film that there is a world outside her carefree plastic world in which, unlike the Barbie world, women do not necessarily call the shots .
Among other things, Greta Gerwig made headlines last year when she was nominated not only in the “Best Director” category but also in the “Best Film” category at the Oscars for “Barbie” – the highest-grossing film of 2023.